The overall objective of this project is to eliminate the occurrence of hospitalizations for patients whose clinical reasons for admission are either completely preventable or modifiable by appropriate ambulatory care. The specific goal of the research project is to develop a valid method for detecting cases of preventable admissions which could be effectively instituted and lead to corrective action within the medical community. To meet this specific goal, a set of specific "tracer" diagnoses have been selected and are being studied through the use of case abstracts and explicit criteria-quality assessment techniques.